bobmark226
03-09-2004, 07:19 AM
Joining in with the small but enthusiastic Indian cooking set here, I made my first dish from the Madhur Jaffrey 'From Curries to Kebabs' last night, mostly for snacking and to carry to work today, and it was wonderful and simple, with a lot of great spices to sing on the tongue. I could easily have wiped out the whole bowlful last night!
I did a bit of reading, too, because Jaffrey writes the growth of Indian food through that part of the world ("the spice trail") and explains the differences in curries, as well as things like the English influences. Fascinating reading, if you like food history or curries.
Jaffrey calls this a "dry" dish, but I learned that this can mean a reduced sauce. The only changes I made were to substitute a half cup of crushed tomato I had on hand for the finely chopped fresh and to reduce the oil.
I also think a can of chick peas might be an excellent addition for a vegetarian entree.
BOB
*******
Quick Cauliflower "Bhaji" (Gobi Ki Bhaji)
(Madhur Jaffrey's From Curries to Kebabs)
Here is a quickly cooked dish that I created for our everyday meals. It is "dry." Whatever sauce there is clings to the flowerets. Just make sure that you do not make the flowerets too big. They should be medium sized, about two inches in length and no wider than 1-1/2 inches. Each flower "head" should have an attached stem so it does not look too squat.
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground tumeric
1/2 tsp cayenne
3/4 tsp salt
3 tsps. corn, peanut or olive oil (I reduced this to about 1-1/2)
1/2 tsp whole mustard seeds
1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds
2 whole, dried, hot, red chilies
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, first cut into thin slices then stacked and cut into thin slivers
4 heaped cups cauliflower florets
1/2 cup peel and finely chopped tomato
Put the coriander, cumin, tumeric, cayenne and salt into a small bowl. Add four tablespoons of water and mix. Set aside. (Jaffrey calls this a "paste." It's not, it's quite liquid.)
Pour the oil into a large lidded pan and set over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and chilies. As soon as the mustard seeds begin to pop, a matter of seconds, put in first the ginger and then the cauliflower. Fry the cauliflower, stirring at the same time, for about two minutes, or until it picks up some brown spots. Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the spice paste, cover, and continue to cook for about six minutes. Stir in the tomatos. Replace the lid and cook for a further six minutes or until the cauliflower is just tender.
I did a bit of reading, too, because Jaffrey writes the growth of Indian food through that part of the world ("the spice trail") and explains the differences in curries, as well as things like the English influences. Fascinating reading, if you like food history or curries.
Jaffrey calls this a "dry" dish, but I learned that this can mean a reduced sauce. The only changes I made were to substitute a half cup of crushed tomato I had on hand for the finely chopped fresh and to reduce the oil.
I also think a can of chick peas might be an excellent addition for a vegetarian entree.
BOB
*******
Quick Cauliflower "Bhaji" (Gobi Ki Bhaji)
(Madhur Jaffrey's From Curries to Kebabs)
Here is a quickly cooked dish that I created for our everyday meals. It is "dry." Whatever sauce there is clings to the flowerets. Just make sure that you do not make the flowerets too big. They should be medium sized, about two inches in length and no wider than 1-1/2 inches. Each flower "head" should have an attached stem so it does not look too squat.
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground tumeric
1/2 tsp cayenne
3/4 tsp salt
3 tsps. corn, peanut or olive oil (I reduced this to about 1-1/2)
1/2 tsp whole mustard seeds
1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds
2 whole, dried, hot, red chilies
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, first cut into thin slices then stacked and cut into thin slivers
4 heaped cups cauliflower florets
1/2 cup peel and finely chopped tomato
Put the coriander, cumin, tumeric, cayenne and salt into a small bowl. Add four tablespoons of water and mix. Set aside. (Jaffrey calls this a "paste." It's not, it's quite liquid.)
Pour the oil into a large lidded pan and set over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and chilies. As soon as the mustard seeds begin to pop, a matter of seconds, put in first the ginger and then the cauliflower. Fry the cauliflower, stirring at the same time, for about two minutes, or until it picks up some brown spots. Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the spice paste, cover, and continue to cook for about six minutes. Stir in the tomatos. Replace the lid and cook for a further six minutes or until the cauliflower is just tender.